Improvement in carriage-cultivators



V T. MEIKLE. Carriage-Cultivator.

No. 213,675. Patented Mar. 25, 1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

THOMAS MEIKLE, OF' LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRIAGE-CULTIVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 213,675, dated March E25, 1879; application iiled v .October 25, 1878.

' To all whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS- MEIKLE, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oarriage-Cultivators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked hereon, which form a part of this specificaion.

Figure l is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation. Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the universal fulcrum K.

The same letters are employed to refer to identical parts in the drawings.

My invention relates to a carriage-cultivator which is so constructed and arranged as to be adapted to be changed to a sulky-plow; and it consists in a universal fulcrum for the foot-lever, in connection with the foot-lever and the cultivator-beams, by means of which the operator can guide and control the cultivators by his feet while the cultivator is in operation, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

A is the axle of the carriage, arched in its central part to admit of its passing over the corn in operating. B are the standards, connecting the extended spindles of the axle with the frame-pieces C. D is the transverse piece of the frame, and E is a center piece of the same, and is attached to the frame by the bolt and nut e, and to the upper horizontal part of the axle A by the bolt and nut c. F is the tongue. G G are plates of iron, rmly bolted to the vertical sides of the rear end of the tongue by the bolts g g. The center piece, E, is of the same thickness as the tongue, and these plates G Gr extend along the sides of the tongue and center piece far enough to afford a strong rigid attachment of the tongue to the center piece by means ofthe bolts and nuts g g and'gg, thus formin ga cheap and durable attachment for an adjustable tongue, and one readily adj usted as required. The common double-tree may be attached to the tongue at f, or any other place desired.

H H are levers, extending from a suitable are connected with the cultivator-beams L by means of the links h.

N N are hooks attached to the rear ends of the frame-pieces C C, extending downward .from the saine, and so ,constructed as to serve as attachments for holding the cultivators, or either of them, in suspension above the ground, at the will of the operator.

The universal fulcrum K consists of a studbolt, 7s, which passes horizontally through the vertical part of the axle A, and is secured in position by proper bolts, nuts, or other similar means, and so constructed as to admit of being freely revolved in its bearing. Its outer end is double-anged, to receive the body of lever E and admit of a hole for the bolt 7c', which passes vertically through the doubleilanged end of the stud-bolt and the lever H. The fulcrum K, as thus constructed, will allow a vertical or horizontal movement of the footlever H, or any intermediate motion between a vertical and a horizontal.

By means of a foot-lever constructed and arranged as herein described, an operator can Y control the direction and operation of the cultivators. He can change the direction of either or both of the cultivators, to avoid a hill of corn or an obstruction, or raise and lower or raise and suspend the same at will, by the employment of his feet at a time when the cultivator is in actual use without stopping or rea tarding the same.

M is an inverted-L-shaped draw-bar, perforated with a series of holes to receive the bolt m1, which attaches the draw-beam of the culi tivator to the draw-bar.

By changing the insertion of the bolt m1 in the holes m, the height of the cultivator-beam may be adj usted and the angle of the cultii vatorblades changed in their relation to the ground.

The bolt m1 is loosely ttin g in the parts, and admits of a free hinge movement of the beam vertically. The upper forward arm of the draw-bar M is so formed as to admit of a hole for the bolt m2 to pass loosely through, and through holes in the extended arms of the clasps l), which span the axle, and are adjustably attached thereto by means of the capbolt-sp. R is a seat for the operator.

ln case a plow is to be attached to the carriage instead of a cultivator, the tongue may be moved to the side piece, C, of the frame, and there attached, as represented by the dotted lines F.

I am aware that heretofore foot-levers in snlky-cultivators have been so constructed that the operator could raise and lower the cultivators by the use of his feet; also, that in walking-cultivators there heretofore have been devices, consisting of various levers and joints, by which the cultivators could be raised and lowered and swung horizontally; but they differ essentially from my invention.

I am also aware that heretofore the guiding two witnesses.

THOS. MEIKLE. Witnesses:

J. SPEED PEAY, W. J. CLEMERsoN. 

